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215G Redo - lots of questions

Hello CCA! Its been a while - but I'm back!

I'm emptying out my 215G planted tank this weekend. Decided I'm going to redo it as an African cichlid tank.

Rocks - check. (Volcanic basalt)
Sand - Pool filter sand ok? Or do I need to get aragonite or some other specific substrate?

So...options? Want color. What to stock? Where to get?

Also - my water is really soft - obviously I can add conditioners to it - but its a large tank - and has an automatic water changer. Thinking maybe I just need to use an appropriate substrate or add some coral to the filter to harden it up? Maybe I can fill up my CO2 reactor with coral and run CO2 through it to help harden up the water? Need something low maint - automatic that can deal with the daily small automatic water changes. Ideas?
 

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Well hello there!

Looking back, you left right around the time a bunch of us were coming into the club. Welcome back!

I guess first question, first. Do you want to do Malawi, Vics or Tangs, or does it not really matter? For color, I'd go with Malawi (with maybe a smattering of Vics).

Second questions - are you looking to do single males or breeding groups of fish?

If you have soft water, I'd definitely either mix crushed coral into your substrate or keep a large bag of it in your sump.

Cheers and again, welcome back. :)
 

ezrk

Members
Look into the various home buffering recipes for rift lake cichlids. If you are willing to do a bit of work you could easily and cheaply buffer the tank. Buy warehouse club bags of baking soda, epsom salts, and maybe a bit of marine/kosher salt and you should be good. You should be able to figure out how much to add everyday and do it manually or rig up a dosing/top-off system without too much difficulty.
 

Andrew

Members
If this was my tank and I was doing africans...

Option 1: A Malawi Taiwan Reef biotope with Pseudotropheus saulosi, Copidachromis borleyi "Taiwan", Protomelas steveni "Taiwan", Labeotropheus trevawasae "Taiwan" (or the closest color form I could find) and Synodontis nyassae.

Option 2: A Tanganyika biotope with Lamprichthys tanganicus, Phyllonemus typus, Synodontis lucipinnis, Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, Xenotilapia melangenys, and Altolamprologus calvus "Black".

I would source fish from http://davesfish.com and http://valleyaquatics.net. The Tanganyikan killies would have to come from http://alloddballaquatics.com/.
 

chris_todd

Members
Ghazanfar, I'm bummed to hear you're getting rid of the plants in your 215 - that was an awesome tank!

When you say your water is really soft, how soft is it? And what pH?

If you want to do Africans, but don't want to treat your water, you might consider West African riverine cichlids.
 
Well hello there!

Looking back, you left right around the time a bunch of us were coming into the club. Welcome back!

I guess first question, first. Do you want to do Malawi, Vics or Tangs, or does it not really matter? For color, I'd go with Malawi (with maybe a smattering of Vics).

Second questions - are you looking to do single males or breeding groups of fish?

If you have soft water, I'd definitely either mix crushed coral into your substrate or keep a large bag of it in your sump.

Cheers and again, welcome back. :)

So I've been doing some reading this weekend and watched a few YouTube vids - I like the behavior and biotopes of Mbuna more than anything I've seen so far.

Good to hear the the soft water isn't a big problem and can be easily fixed.
 
If this was my tank and I was doing africans...

Option 1: A Malawi Taiwan Reef biotope with Pseudotropheus saulosi, Copidachromis borleyi "Taiwan", Protomelas steveni "Taiwan", Labeotropheus trevawasae "Taiwan" (or the closest color form I could find) and Synodontis nyassae.

I would source fish from http://davesfish.com and http://valleyaquatics.net. The Tanganyikan killies would have to come from http://alloddballaquatics.com/.

I like Option 1! Though it's early right now, what kind of stocking ratios / numbers should I shoot for?
 
So, I did some preliminary research - looks like Mbuna are it. After watching some vids and reading up a bit - I still cannot find a good recent article on how to make a good background. I have some ideas but need more direction on what paints / sealants are good for permanant submersion and will not break down under metal halides. Its a big tank - the background / fake rocks / paint over real rocks (to ensure that it looks seamless) needs to last for 5+ years. Any direction on the paints / sealants? Is there any plasticy material I can paint on top of the foam based background that will seal it up / give me a good base for the paint?
 

verbal

CCA Members
There are some good commercial backgrounds available:

http://www.yourfishstuff.com/categories/Decorations/Universal-Rocks-Backgrounds/

While they are probably more expensive than DIY, I think they will meet your requirements for Durability and looking seamless better.

So, I did some preliminary research - looks like Mbuna are it. After watching some vids and reading up a bit - I still cannot find a good recent article on how to make a good background. I have some ideas but need more direction on what paints / sealants are good for permanant submersion and will not break down under metal halides. Its a big tank - the background / fake rocks / paint over real rocks (to ensure that it looks seamless) needs to last for 5+ years. Any direction on the paints / sealants? Is there any plasticy material I can paint on top of the foam based background that will seal it up / give me a good base for the paint?
 

Andrew

Members
I like Option 1! Though it's early right now, what kind of stocking ratios / numbers should I shoot for?

If you start with Juvies, I would do 12 ps. saulosi, 6 pr. steveni, 6 C. borleyi and a handful of labeotropheus. I would start with the saulosi and steveni since they're less agressive than the other two. The cats would go in last, after the tank has matured a bit.

There are a few really nice biotope pics on the web for inspiration on decor:

mt%202003%20Taiwan_Reef_9.jpg


mt%202003%20Taiwan_Reef_22.jpg


Picture%20597%20(800x531).jpg
 

zackcrack00

Members
Any stocking that you do with mbuna, I'd keep a ratio of 1m, 2f, 2m, 5f, or 3m, 9f. If you want to do a species tank of some kind, I would do around 5-6 males and 25 females, depending on the type of mbuna you do.
 

Forester

Members
Hey,

If you are willing to spend a fair amount of money then stocking with wild fish from lake Malawi might be a good idea. Me, Jesse and maybe a few other people are going to be ordering some fish from Stuart M. Grant in a week or so. I will email you their most recent stock list. They have some really cool fish. Shipping will be $420 per box to get them to DC. There are 7 bags per box. Even if you just get a bag or two that is fine. please tell me if you want anything this week so we can tell SMG. Thanks

Lucas
 

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
If you start with Juvies, I would do 12 ps. saulosi, 6 pr. steveni, 6 C. borleyi and a handful of labeotropheus. I would start with the saulosi and steveni since they're less agressive than the other two. The cats would go in last, after the tank has matured a bit.

I like where Andrew is going with this. Only change that I would make would to bump numbers of the haps up to 8-10 each, depending on the size of the fish when purchased. I've grown out a lot of haps in the last 5 years and have been disappointed a few times with losses or male-heavy groups when they finally get to maturity. Even for a smaller tank, I always get 8 now to start.

In a tank that big, you can afford the space and if you want to make room later, it's never hard getting rid of mature male or female haps.
 

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Any stocking that you do with mbuna, I'd keep a ratio of 1m, 2f, 2m, 5f, or 3m, 9f.

That ratio will not work for many mbuna.

The ratio should be tailored for the specific species and size of the tank. For example, for large zebras and most Melanochromis, you'll want a ratio closer to 1-2M/6-8F. Final ratio on a demasoni colony is generally even higher.

Numbers will become even more female-heavy in smaller (<75 gal) setups.
 
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